"Having grown in confidence through fashion, I hope to turn my passion for fashion into an avenue to encourage and empower women to be comfortable with who we are."

Hey! It’s Kim (aka Kisanna) here! I'm a 22-year-old in my sophomore year studying Information Systems in Singapore Management University (SMU). With SMU, I’m also training to be an emcee and am a member of the school’s women’s dragon boat team.

I’ve taken a slightly unconventional path – having changed streams from science to arts in secondary school, doing secondary 3 twice. I also took a gap year after my A levels to travel and pursue my passions – an education in skincare, makeup, fragrances and a degree in Style Coaching with the International Association of Style Coaches – before starting university.

After getting out of a long-term emotionally abusive relationship, I felt lost, lacked confidence and had a low self-esteem. But as my favourite lyric goes, “It’s always darkest before the dawn”. It was one of the critical turning points in my life.

Having had enough of the breakup blues, I decided to start truly living, putting my best foot forward by trying things I wouldn’t normally do and pushing myself out of my comfort zone – giving exercise and fitness a go (I was the exercise-loathing, performing arts kid before this). Funny thing is that a it was my guy friend who got me started on my fitness journey, introducing me to Barre!

Aside from exercise & a ton of moral support from my incredible friends, what really helped me get back on track was rediscovering who I was, starting from the outside. I was able to develop a style identity that actually helped me be comfortable in my own skin. With my own distinct style, I was able to celebrate my individuality and developed better self-esteem.

As part of The Busy Woman Project and having grown in confidence through fashion, I hope to turn my passion for fashion into an avenue to encourage and empower women to be comfortable with who we are, to be confident and our best selves!